Accurate packet synchronization is a prerequisite to establishing reliable communication over wireless links. A common approach to achieve synchronization involves the transmitting of a synchronization sequence, also referred to as a preamble, prior to the transmission of the payload. The synchronization sequence has special properties that improve the receiver's ability to combat the effects of channel dispersion, noise and interference.
One form of wireless communication is wireless communication according to the ultra-wide band (UWB) protocol. The Federal Communications Committee (FCC) has mandated that UWB radio transmission can legally operate in the frequency range of 3.1 GHz to 10.6 GHz. The transmit power requirement for UWB communications is that the maximum average transmit Effective Isotropic Radiated Power (EIRP) is −41.25 dBm/MHz in any transmit direction. The result of the low transmission signal power and wide bandwidth can cause UWB signals to have low signal to interference and noise ratios (SINR). Additionally, UWB signals can suffer from high signal dispersion especially in indoor environments where there is considerable scatter energy.
FIG. 1 shows an exemplary UWB network 100 that includes devices 110, 120, 130, 140. The UWB devices are typically deployed indoors and proximate to other UWB devices. Therefore, the UWB devices are prone to interference from other UWB devices. The interference in combination with low SINR and high signal dispersion can make both synchronization and reception of UWB signals difficult.
It is desirable to have an apparatus and method of improving both synchronization and data reception of UWB signals.